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Jan. 31, 1956 D. I. GRIFFITH 2,733,029

TURBOGENERATOR FOUNDATION Filed Dec. 15, 1952 l4 14 H FCHAL I6 Fig.4

Fig 2 INVENTOR.

DONALD, I. GRIFFITH M ATTORNEY United States Patent IIURBOGENERATOR' FOUNDATION Donald .L G'riflith, Denver, Colo., assignor of'one-half to JosephP: Ruth, Denver, Colo.

Anpli athnDecember 15,, .1952, Serial No. 326,027

2 Claims. (Cl; 2'4813) This invention relates to-beds orfoundations for the snpport fme hanical assemblies, and more p rti ular y to foundations for the support of large turbogenerators, and has as an object to provide a novel and improved foundation characterizedv by facility. of design and construction, economy, and practical operative advantage.

Afurtherobject of the invention is to provide a novel and: improved turbogenerator foundation accommodative of the auxiliary equipment required by such units.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved turbogenerator foundation accommodative of the loads and stresses imposed thereon.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved turbogenerator foundation conservative of space and material.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved turbogenerator foundation susceptible of convenient adaptation to meet the support requirements of diverse mechanical units throughout an extensive range of unit types and sizes.

A further object of the invention is to provide an i1nproved turbogenerator foundation adapted for development at the site of its installation through the use of normally-available materials and the applicationof common skills.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved turbogenerator foundation reactive to the dynamic loads and variable load factors imposed thereon during operation of the mechanical unit supported thereby, thus to counteract, absorb, and minimize adverse efiects of such load and load factors upon both the mechanical unit and its support.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and unitary combination of elements as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a turbogenerator foundation typically embodying the concept of the invention as developed for practical use, broken lines in the view representing a conventional turbogenerator unit supported on the foundation in a conventional position of use.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the foundation shown in Figure 1 prior to mounting of the turbogenerator unit thereon.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the foundation shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the foundation represented by Figures 2 and 3.

The improved foundation of the present invention is preferably a monolithic masonry unit cast or formed in the place of its use from reinforced concrete, the techniques pertinent to such construction, including the de sign and arrangement of the reinforcement, being fully and widely understood. In common with similar conventional foundations, the improvement includes a heavy, solid, generally-rectangular base block of an area at 2,733,029 Patented Jan. 31, 1956 leastasigreat'as, and preferably exceeding, that, of the deck which isto carry the mechanical unit and, offa thicknesa, strength, andmass appropriate to withstand the loads Since conventional construction and'installation of turbogenerators requires readily-accessible'space beneath the unit=for the accommodation of auxiliary equipment, the improved foundation includesa rigid; generally-rec-.

tangular deck 11 having an area adequate to support the turbogenerator unit 12 for which, the foundation. is designed. The deck 11. is apertured, as at 13,,for. the accommodation of extensions and connections characteriz: ing; the conventional turbogenerator unit. Bearingiplates 1'4 and'appropriate'deckmarginalextensions 15 are; utilized in any desired arrangement for such coaction with elements of a particular unit 12 as may be expedient to mount theunit in-a suitable supported relation with the upper deck surface.

As should be obvious, the base block 10 is horizontally disposed and the deck 11 is supported on and in spaced relation above the block 10 with the upper surface horizontal, that which distinguishes the present invention being the location, form, and arrangement of the means supporting the deck on the base block to provide a materially improved foundation. Significantly deviating from the usual practice of supporting the deck 11 from the base 10 by means of posts or columns disposed under the four corners of the deck, and in certain instances under other portions of the deck in addition to such corner support, the deck of the improved foundation is supported solely by a pair of like pillars 16 similarly disposed in spaced, parallel relation and perpendicular to the deck top plane beneath and intermediate the length of the deck, each pillar having a width, or a dimension longitudinally of the deck, on the order of one-third to one-half of the deck length where the pillars engage the base block 10 and being expanded upwardly and outwardly at each side to engage and merge into the deck side margins through triangular shoulders or buttresses 17 effective to greatly extend the zone of pillar and deck margin interengagement. The pillars 16 are of such thickness and are so reinforced as to adequately support the deck and turbogenerator loads, both static and dynamic, in accord with usual engineering practice, and the pillars 16 and deck 11 are so dimensioned and interrelated as to provide a clear space between the pillars 16 communicating with the apertures 13 and preferably to provide a lateral shoulder extension of the base block 10 at the outer side of and projecting beyond each pillar 16, as at 18.

While the several views of the drawing represent the pillars 16 as centered beneath the transverse median line of the deck 11, it is to be understood that the deck is so dimensioned as to receive and support a particular turbogenerator unit 12 and is so related with the supporting pillars 16 as to balance the deck and its load relative to the pillar center lines or planes transversely of the base block 10; the said pillar center lines or planes being coincident with the transverse center line of the base block. The improved foundation being symmetrical with respect to its longitudinal vertical median plane and being arranged to balance the imposed load about a transverse axis coincident with the pillar transverse center lines or planes, it is manifest that the foundation is conditioned, through incidence of all imposed loads upon the base block 10 through the two pillars 16, to adequately sustain all static loads of the assembly and to advantageously damp, moderate, counteract, and absorb the dynamic loads to modify 3 their destructive efiect upon the unit 12 or any elements of the foundation; the cantilever mounting of the deck ends permitting the structure to yield within the elastic limit thereof as a result of changes in load conditions due to the dynamic nature of the load. Use of but the two pillars 16 in the disposition and arrangement shown and described very much facilities installation and maintenance of the auxiliary equipment pertinent to the operation of the unit 12, and support of the deck 11 by the pillars in the manner represented contributes to economy of foundation production, as well as eflicient unit installation and operation.

Since changes, variatons, and modifications in the form, construction, and arrangement of the elements shown and described may be had without departing from the spirit of my invention, I wish to be understood as being limited solely by the scope of the appended claims, rather than by any details of the illustrative showing and foregoing description.

I claim as my invention:

1. A foundation supporting a load having rotating parts disposed on a horizontal axis of rotation, said foundation comprising a base, a generally rectangular horizontal load supporting deck spaced above said base, a pair of vertical pillars extending between said base and said deck and constituting the sole means for supporting said deck, said pillars being of a width of the order of one-third to onehalf of the length of said deck and being aligned with adjacent opposite sides thereof and intermediate the length of said deck in such a location that a vertical plane through the center of gravity of said deck and said load coincides with the vertical center line of said pillars whereby the opposite ends of said deck and load carried thereby overhang said pillars with said deck and load balanced about a horizontal axis disposed in said vertical plane and means on said deck spaced inwardly of the inner side surfaces of said pillars for securing said load to said deck.

2. A foundation as defined in claim 1 in which said base is generally rectangular and in which the center of gravity of said load and said deck is disposed substantially in vertical alignment with the geometric center of said base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,225,186 Sorenson Dec. 17, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 14,521 Netherlands Oct. 15, 1925 400,706 Germany Aug. 13, 1924 459,331 Germany May 1, 1928 886,021 France June 15, 1943 

